Power Up Using Heat From a Camp Stove

A Salt Lake City, Utah based startup aptly named ‘Power Practical’ has come up with the ‘PowerPot’ which can generate electricity out of heat. The device can power your USB devices like mp3 players and cell phones using the heat produced while you cook on it. The PowerPot could generate somewhere around 5W of electricity from the heat of boiling water which could fully charge your iPhone 4 to 5 times.

The device has a few practical applications in the US –backpackers could throw in a PowerPot along with their propane stove and easily juice-up their GPS, cell-phones, headlamps, etc. The PowerPot is actually more relevant in developing countries where access to cell-phones is a easier than electricity. People in these communities could charge their cell-phones and radios while they cook their food out in the open. “There are over 200 million people in Africa that use cell phones but lack access to electricity. Some must walk over a mile and spend over 15% of their monthly income just to charge their phone,” says Caleb Light, the CFO of Power Practical. Some websites have suggested the PowerPot could be of a great help during emergencies.

The product was recently featured on Kickstarter which went on to become a huge success there. The product is not yet available commercially but the supporters of the product on Kickstarter can get it for $125 and donate one for $99. There is also an option to do both for $199.